This is the Delirious Scribbles 2020...crap...2021...you know what, it's our new convention booth.
During the early months of Covid-19 quarantine, the pressures of staying inside working the day job and my writing gig from the same seat really started to make my feet itch. I needed to get out, see something other than beige wood-paneled walls. (Not my choice, but I haven't gotten around to replacing them yet.)
Then inspiration struck - or you know, a kender hoopak knocked me one in the head. What if I rented a huge metal storage space...in early summer...in Georgia. What a great idea!
Why you may ask? So I could work on perfecting the newest iteration of my convention booth.
This probably won't shock you, but I'm a bit of an innovator, always trying to find new ways to do things better. My convention tables - thanks in no small part to Alexi Vandenberg and the other awesome writers from the Bard's Tower - have evolved over the last few years.
I've experimented with different banners, furniture, table clothes. There have been new books and old books with new covers. I've gone from sign up sheets on notepads, business cards and eventually tablets. Even my wardrobe has evolved.
Then in 2019 I decided my convention game needed to evolve once more. Instead of sticking to tables in artist alley, I ventured in to where the real vendors set up. I invested in a 10x10 booth and designed my first PVC erector set for convention use.
I bought brand new tables, tablets, rolling registers, new stools, the works. I even got a floor decal with the new Delirious Scribbles logo.
The new booth was awesome. I would no longer be separated from my readers by a table. I had two wonderful helpers, and we could talk to three readers at a time. Everything was awesome!
Well, almost. I had too many books - and we won't even talk about the concrete floors or my failed giveaway/drawing ideas.
Even so, we took the design from its failure in Miami on to Raleigh - augmented by padded flooring this time. My two Miami helpers stayed home, replaced by two aspiring writers. I added a turntable banner on the corner of my space to limit the number of people using the booth as a hallway. The banner didn't stop the through traffic, and several people ignored it until it spun into their legs.
Even with all the problems, the interactions the new design provided were far better than ever before. We got to meet and talk to over a hundred new readers.
I improved the giveaway drawing. Enjoyed less sore feet and got to meet back up with readers from all the previous Raleigh Supercons (Now GalaxyCon Raleigh).
There were still lessons learned. The booth, even with its open floor plan, was too cramped. The erector set and its special table took up too much room. The tables were packed with books, a wrong move became an avalanche, and the schedule planned for four more titles that needed to join them.
So, on the heels of what I still consider a success, I came back home and started brainstorming the new booth. When my itching feet couldn't stay still any more, I conceived of the great storage space convention mockup.
Watch the video. Enjoy!
